Geelong captain Patrick Dangerfield has downplayed any concerns about coach Chris Scott remaining away from Cats training a month out from the AFL season.<\/p>\n
Scott has barely been sighted at GMHBA Stadium over the pre-season, leaving the grind of summer training to experienced assistants such as Nathan Buckley, James Rahilly and James Kelly.<\/p>\n
The dual premiership coach has been juggling State of Origin duties, getting ready to lead Victoria against Western Australia in Perth on February 14.<\/p>\n
But Dangerfield insisted Geelong’s preparation for 2026 had been “status quo” and they were determined to respond strongly from their grand final defeat to Brisbane last September.<\/p>\n
“As players we don’t really need to see Chris pre-Christmas,” Dangerfield said on Thursday at an AFL partnership announcement with Virgin Australia.<\/p>\n
“The way the season is structured, once the season finishes for us (players), we go away.<\/p>\n
“For the staff, particularly for list management, Chris and some of the coaches, their season doesn’t finish until late-October, early-November.<\/p>\n
“It’s a really good thing for him, great thing for the club and our coaches to take over certain elements of our training.”<\/p>\n
Despite not being present at Geelong training, Scott has still been across the Cats’ game plan and what the season will look like.<\/p>\n
“He just doesn’t need to be there for the daily grind that pre-season can provide sometimes,” Dangerfield said.<\/p>\n
“This is probably the way clubs will go into the future given the demands on coaches, but particularly the senior coach.”<\/p>\n
Last September, Scott came under scrutiny for an outburst at an AFL staff member following a media conference after Geelong’s qualifying final win against the Lions.<\/p>\n
He also had to deal with the ongoing antics of mercurial midfielder Bailey Smith, who created unwanted headlines for verbally abusing a photographer and over his behaviour on social media.<\/p>\n
Although small forward Tyson Stengle has returned to training following a leave of absence, Dangerfield has ruled his teammate out of playing early in the season.<\/p>\n
Stengle had a fairytale first season at Geelong in 2022, named All-Australian and playing in a premiership, only a year after being sacked by Adelaide for a string of off-field incidents.<\/p>\n
“We’ve got to be mindful of Tyson playing his best footy as quickly as possible, but at the most important part of the season,” Dangerfield said.<\/p>\n
“We’re mindful of where he’s at and the challenges he’s had.<\/p>\n
“We’ll make a really considered approach to when he’s available. We’ll make sure that progression is slow, consistent and sustainable once he’s back.”<\/p>\n
Dangerfield also said spoke about how Tanner Bruhn had reintegrated back into the group, after being in exile for the entire 2025 season.<\/p>\n
Bruhn, who always maintained his innocence, was stood down by the AFL last year while he faced a serious criminal matter.<\/p>\n
The midfielder’s rape and intentional sexual touching charges were formally withdrawn at Geelong Magistrates Court in November.<\/p>\n
“It’s been fantastic, we’re so thrilled as players to have him back, to see him smile,” Dangerfield said.<\/p>\n
“It’s been a challenging 12 months for Tanner and the club, but I’m really proud with the way he has gone about it and how he’s put it behind him.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Geelong captain Patrick Dangerfield has downplayed any concerns about coach Chris Scott remaining away from Cats training a month out from the AFL season. Scott has barely been sighted at GMHBA Stadium over the pre-season, leaving the grind of summer training to experienced assistants such as Nathan Buckley, James Rahilly and James Kelly. The dual […]<\/p>\n